Gospel: The Greatest Commandment

Today is the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, and the Gospel reading continues according to St Matthew.

But when the Pharisees heard that he has silenced the Sadducees they got together and, to put him to the test, one of them put a further question, "Master, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?"

Jesus said to him, "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment.

The second resembles it: You must love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang the whole law, and the Prophets too."

The Gospel builds from last week's reading as part of the three questions put to Jesus by Jewish authorities that might trick him into saying something that will get him arrested. The first question about paying taxes to the Emperor was asked by the Pharisees and Herodians. The second question about the resurrection was asked by the Sadducees. The Sadducees do not believe in the resurrection. And the third question, about the greatest commandment, was asked in today's reading.

The Mosaic Law consists of the Ten Commandments and many additional rules, numbering over six hundred. The question requires Jesus to interpret the Law of Moses. For a devout Jew, adherence to Mosaic Law is an expression of faithfulness to God's covenant and the ranking of the commandments is regularly debated among the teachers of the Law.

Jesus, again, cleverly answered the question by summarizing the Law of Moses into two commandments from where all the law derives its authority. Loving God ranks first among the commandments, because God is love. It is from God where the love we show to others comes from; he is the source of it. Without God, we cannot simply know how to follow the law. For when we love God, we will faithfully follow the commandments without force or coercion as part of the love we show for the law giver. 

The second law tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves, which summarizes our relationship with other people. Because when we love our neighbor, we will not kill them, steal from them, lie to them, or slander them. Truly, all of the commandments rest in the main source of it, which is love.

Let us pray: Lord, help us to love our neighbor as ourselves. Increase our faith, so that as we minister to those in need, we may love you even more by doing the earthly mission you entrusted to us.

Amen.

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